Mercedes wants you to think of the new B-Class as a sports tourer rivalling premium competitors like Audis and BMWs, but let’s face it, it’s a people carrier. That’s not to say we’re dissing it at all, because wheels sampled the B-Class last November and loved it. It did actually radiate smidgens of genuine sportiness.
Now, however, Mercedes has been spied testing an test mule version, undergoing brutal winter punishment in Europe. There have been rumours about this car, although another possibility is that AMG is simply testing components that will end up on other models. Still, we could also be looking at the world’s coolest people carrier. When, or if, it makes production, the B-Class AMG will be powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre direct-injection four-cylinder engine producing between 320 and 350bhp. And that obviously means that front-wheel drive is out of the question, so AMG employed an all-wheel drive system and a dual-clutch gearbox to harness the power. Think of it like this: it’s a Mercedes-Benz minivan that just might embarrass Golf Rs and Subaru Imprezas. Now, that’s not a people carrier as we know it.
